Cowboys out of practice facility until August

ARLINGTON, Texas 
The Cowboys won't return to their practice fields until after training camp and have no immediate plans to replace the indoor facility destroyed in a storm.

Owner Jerry Jones said Thursday the team is letting a federal investigation into the collapse of the tentlike structure "run its course." Jones said he's making plans to have the practice fields ready when the Cowboys return from San Antonio in August.

The May 2 accident at the team's complex in Irving left 12 people hurt. The roof came down in a thunderstorm during a rookie workout. Scouting assistant Rich Behm was paralyzed from the waist down, and special teams coach Joe DeCamillis suffered a broken neck.

DeCamillis returned to practice this week at a high school stadium in nearby Carrollton where the Cowboys will work out until their fields are ready.

As for whether a covered field will return to the Valley Ranch complex, Jones said his mind has been on the recovery of Behm and others.

"Anything else is kind of almost a mundane-type of procedural thing," Jones said. "We don't have a time frame that requires us to think about that right now."

Jones got some unexpected good news Tuesday when DeCamillis returned a month earlier than expected. He wore a neck brace and shouted instructions through a bullhorn.

"I know firsthand what a miracle it is that he didn't get paralyzed," Jones said. "For him to be out there that soon, I'm going to quit worrying about my back problems and things like that. That just shows resolve."

The Cowboys have several more weeks of organized offseason workouts before a weeklong mandatory minicamp. The first training camp practice will be July 29 at the Alamodome.